Pictured above: Caption: Robbie Hazlehurst (left) and Ian Williams (right) of Chrysalis Performance at the inaugural Bromsgrove meeting with Neil Ryder who devised the Executive Village concept.

A revolutionary concept of business co-operation and self-help, which is designed to help companies recover and grow after the recession, has been launched in Worcestershire.

The inaugural meeting of the Executive Village, the first of its kind in the Midlands and only the second in the whole of the UK, attracted firms from all over the county when it took place at the Grafton Manor Hotel, Bromsgrove.

The initiative, launched by Chrysalis Performance of Worcester, gives company owners and leaders the chance to meet and discuss problems relating to their businesses during an informal, round-table dinner and seek answers from fellow guests.

Everyone attending the first get together put forward a concern they had experienced in the course of business. Each person asked searching questions and then gave their opinion on how the matters should be tackled in a practical working environment.

"This is an entirely new method of encouraging businesses to help each other in a relaxed, informal atmosphere and we are tremendously excited about it," said Ian Williams, Director of Chrysalis Performance who acts as facilitator at the monthly meetings.

"Effectively, we are providing senior company managers with access to a diverse and experienced non-executive board that they could never otherwise afford and from whom they can seek and receive practical advice in the confidential environment of an informal private dining room.

"The longer our inaugural meeting went on, the more apparent it became that everyone present was either experiencing the same type of challenge or had experienced it in the past and had found a way of dealing with it.

"The advice each participant had to offer was invaluable not only to the people who had posed the original question, but also to other company managers and owners who had never previously thought about the issues in quite the same way."

The Executive Village, which takes place at the Grafton Manor on the second Wednesday of each month, is aimed at senior decision makers who want to gain inspiration, bounce ideas around or simply seek advice from other business leaders. 

By getting the opportunity to exchange thoughts, experiences and ideas, business people taking part find themselves in a better position to bring about changes needed to be successful in the future.

"Our philosophy is that with the support and input of fellow business owners and leaders, we can each develop the thinking to grow our businesses," Ian added.